CommuniTree turns 10 years old
February 25, 2021
At ZeroMission , we work with holistic and long-term sustainable projects that make a difference for people and climate. Now it's time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of another one of our projects - CommuniTree in Nicaragua!
Smallholder Eliza Perez with her coffee plants.
The CommuniTree project is run by the organization TakingRoot and is located in northern Nicaragua. It is a project that works with smallholder producers to plant trees and crops using an agroforestry model over an area of almost 3,000 hectares. Under this model, trees and crops are planted together to mimic how plants grow naturally, increasing both carbon storage and yields. Plants can benefit from each other in many different ways. For example, coffee plants, which are sensitive to sunlight, can be planted under larger trees that act as a natural umbrella.
Edgar Bianerges Cruz, a member of the TakingRoots team in Nicaragua.
Paying smallholders for the trees and crops planted provides a much-needed income to the rural communities where the project operates, and when the crops bear fruit they can be sold to further boost the economy. Today, the project involves around 800 families. In addition to directly providing an income to smallholders, the project also employs around 2,000 seasonal workers each year, and 40 full-time staff in the project organization. The project also works with a local carpentry company that utilizes the timber removed from the plantations. This produces goods such as bowls, cutting boards, cutlery and small furniture, which can be sold in local markets.
Juan-José Pérez Benavides plants a tree on his land.
CommuniTree uses advanced measurement methods that use AI to monitor planted trees and farms without actually having to travel there. Through an initial collaboration with the University of British Columbia in Canada and a team with expertise in remote sensing, forest statistics and machine learning, TakingRoot has developed the FARM-TRACE platform. The platform performs measurements of CO2 sequestered in the forest and is so simply designed that anyone can use it. All that is needed is a mobile phone, making it an extremely cost-effective solution.
To date, over 650 000 tons of CO2 have been sequestered thanks to the activity and the project continues to grow every year. Many large international customers buy credits from the project, including Microsoft.
From ZeroMission's side, we cheer for the project and look forward to more decades of partnership!
